President Obama came to office after bemoaning the disparity in sentences for crack versus powder cocaine offenses, and with a background as a community organizer and constitutional law teacher that had some progressives anticipating a robust use of the Constitution's "reprieves and pardons" power.

Kevin and Tom introduce us to the popular suburb of Arlington, Massachusetts, and to a new project: the first Italianate Style home THIS OLD HOUSE has tackled in years. Malcolm and Heather’s 1872 home has seen some changes over the years, leaving it with an awkward layout. Now it’s time to polish it and make it work for this century’s busy family. Richard and Roger are on site to help the demolition work get started.

Criminals may have stolen information from 40 million credit and debit cards used at Target. A possible weakness? The magnetic stripe on credit cards -- which fraudsters can pull credit card numbers and expiration dates from to make counterfeit cards.

Highlights include a first edition of the Book of Mormon that has been passed down through the guest’s family since 1833; a 1955 Madoura plate designed by Picasso that previously hung above the stove, collecting grease; and one of the top finds of the season — an 1858 oil painting by important Hudson River artist Sanford Robinson Gifford, valued at $300,000.

A Sweetwater Union High School District board member indicted in a public corruption case pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of accepting gifts above state limits and will resign from the board.

A mentally ill man acquitted in a retrial this month of fatally stabbing a 12-year-old Escondido girl in her bed nearly 16 years ago will be on parole for eight months, instead of the initially ordered period of less than two weeks.

Much of the debate over whether and how to overhaul the country's immigration policy has hinged on whether and how to create a pathway to citizenship. But a majority of Latinos now say that's less important for unauthorized immigrants than giving them relief from the threat of deportation.

President Obama has commuted the sentences of eight people convicted of drug crimes, saying their terms were unusually harsh due to a system that treated crack cocaine as a more serious offense than powder cocaine.

There's been an update in the case of a U.S. Navy broadcaster's mysterious death in Germany. This week, a German judge charged an unnamed member of the U.S. military with manslaughter in the death of Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dmitry Chepusov.

Phrases that became part of San Diego's public lexicon this year included "Filner headlock and "Filner dance." We take a look at the top words/phrases of the year with A Way With Words co-host, Grant Barrett. He tells us what made his New York Times list.

The Emmy-winning "Southwestern Gems: Our Desert National Parks" showcases the top national parks, monuments, preserves and historic sites within the four major North American deserts. Stunning high-definition footage brings to life the majestic landscapes of The Great Basin Desert of Nevada and Utah; the Mojave Desert of California; the Sonoran Desert of Arizona; and the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico and Texas.

Saying that his mission "is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together," Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson isn't backing away from the comments he's made about gays that have led A&E; to suspend him from the popular show indefinitely.

Target Corp. acknowledged early Thursday that there was a massive security breach of its customers' credit and debit card accounts starting the day before Thanksgiving and extending at least to Dec. 15 -- the heart of the holiday shopping season.

By some estimates, we Americans throw away about 40 percent of our food, from the cabbage that's wilting in our refrigerators, to the fruit that's falling off the orange tree in our neighbor's backyard.